As we wandered around Grand Designs at the start of last month in the distance something gold and a bit bling caught my eye. Wondering what it could be, as we were in the more functional area of the show, I steered MOH towards it.

You can see why it caught my eye, can't you?

Intrigued, we headed around the front of the structure to discover it was a rather fabulously converted shipping container. Yes, you wouldn't know from that outside.

I know that there's some innovative ways of using shipping containers, but this is the first that I've seen close up, and definitely the first I've seen of this ilk.

Inside it didn't look like a shipping container either.

It looked like any plush interior would. And like the many shows you see on the TV now, it had outside space too that folded up on itself to offer protection.

We got talking to the people from Reluxe, and were totally converted. I think MOH would have signed up for one if, as ever, we had anywhere to put it. That and he was still angling for his very own pizza oven (and yes, he got one of those)

We jokingly said, ah you'd have to winch it over our house and the reply was, yes we quite often have to do that. And thinking about it, not many people have side access that a shipping container can slip down do they.

I dread to think what might happen if we move house and find we have space in our garden. Hopefully there'll be the next new thing and maybe we'll go straight to that...

What do you think about converting shipping containers as living spaces (and yes, I know this isn't a true living space, but it'd make a great home office, man-cave or she-shed)?